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Lam Loves Bears!

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Lam’s love of bears is hard to argue. And we like to show our affection in a variety of ways – such as helping save the endangered Asiatic black bear and investing in research and education at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB), home of the “Cal Bears.” We even name some of our recreational sports clubs and teams after bears. Read on to learn more.

Helping the Asiatic Black Bear

For the past several years, our employees in Korea have been putting their love for bears to work by participating in the Asiatic Black Bear Project’s annual tree-planting event, which helps restore the bear’s natural habitat. In early spring 2014, they planted 150 mature trees with family and friends, adding to the nearly 3,000 young trees planted previously in Korea’s Jiri Mountains. Lam Research Korea is also the National Nature Trust sponsor. Established with 75 million Korean won (about $70,000 US dollars), the trust is being used for several projects to help the bears, including the purchase of land so it can be restored to the natural forest.

Connecting with the Cal Bears

We stay involved with our beloved Cal Bears by helping fund research and education, as well as actively supporting student programs at UCB. In the past seven years, Lam has donated more than $3 million to a variety of programs, including research activities, a student fellows program, and scholarships. In 2011, we established the first-ever endowed chair at UCB’s Nanosciences and Nanoengineering Institute: the Lam Research Distinguished Chair in Semiconductor Processing. We have also donated wafer processing equipment for UCB’s Microlab/Nanolab.

To stay connected with students and professors, our alumni regularly visit UCB and we host joint events. For example, at the 2014 “Cal Day at Lam,” UCB engineering students and professors came to our company headquarters in Fremont, California. During the event, they toured our labs, heard talks on the latest technology developments, and networked with Lam engineers and scientists during a poster session.

Naming Sports Teams after Bears

In Villach, Austria, Lam has had a “bear” sport team since 1999. Employees there initially began playing ice hockey during the 1990s as a teambuilding activity. In 1999, they formed the Lam Research AG Ice Bears and joined a local recreational ice hockey league, the Injoy Hobby Cup Villach, where they compete against other companies’ teams. With ongoing practice, good coaching, and even training camps, they continue to improve their game and league standing – applying the same perseverance and desire to achieve on the ice as they do at work.

Lam Research Korea has also included “bear” in the name of two of its sports clubs: the Lam Korea Ban Dal Gom (Bear) Football Club and Lam Korea Bear Baseball Club. The teams participate in recreational leagues, engaging in friendly competition against other companies within the semiconductor industry. Our employees have found the camaraderie and teamwork they have at work naturally extends into fun recreational activities outside of the office.